Our Founder & CEO

 Edward “Ed” Hardy is the Founder & CEO of Wake the 8 DC (WT8), serving the communities of Washington, DC and recently, across the nation.  In his role as CEO, he ensures the mission, strategy, and goals of the organization are accomplished. This includes producing positive outcomes in the following areas of  partnerships, services, fundraising, marketing, and community engagement.   

Ed has trained and prepared for this position most of his life.  He was a youth athlete with a passion for football and boxing.  He has worked for 6 fitness companies, 3 of them, largely recognized in the fitness industry: Anytime Fitness, Results Fitness, and Sports & Health Club.  He has trained over 200 clients in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.  As a result, he is a founding member of We Fit DC, a diverse group of fitness professionals, who provided free outdoor group fitness instruction in impacted communities during the COVID pandemic.  He is a Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Youth Fitness Coach, and possesses CEUs in a variety of health and wellness courses.

In his  role as a Community Engagement Coordinator at the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative,  he led the outreach and engagement efforts for the Advancing Health Literacy Initiative, which he organizes health and wellness education events in partnership with the local agencies, schools and community-based organizations. Through his community affiliations, he is a part of the Ward 8 Health Council, a collective of Ward 8 Washington DC healthcare and wellness professionals.  He is focused and committed to bringing awareness and change to eco-social issues that The District of Columbia and cities like it around the world faces.